Axiom Resource Management Inc. - Falls Church, Va.

       Program Manager; Strategic Planning,  (2020 - present)

Team lead for federal contract supporting The Air Force Surgeon General’s Office of Congressional and Public Affairs. Leads a team of 5 personnel executing internal, external, and command information to ensure the Surgeon General’s priorities are clearly articulated to senior leaders, the medical community, Congress and the public. 

• Oversee the hiring, training, staff assignments, production process, review, and release oversight for the SGL public affairs content team in a deadline-driven environment while communicating and enforcing high editorial standards.

• Develops communication plans, and comprehensive public affairs guidance for all public affairs activities of the Air Force Medical Service across the globe to ensure impactful messaging that meets multiple communication priorities. 

• Provides thorough analysis and critical updates to senior leadership regarding public affairs activities to keep decision-makers informed and assist in conveying the importance of leveraging communication practices for enhancing the agency’s objectives. 

• Collaboration and development of cross-functional partnerships from multiple disciplines including military service representatives, healthcare providers, media, and policymakers to design effective communication strategies.

• Maintained an employee retention rate of 95% over three years of managing the team in a severely understaffed office without the benefit of financial incentives.

• Authored the winning proposal for the current contract, increasing it overall by 25%.

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       Acting Chief of Media Operations,  (2022 - present)

Actively engages with local, regional, and national media and Air Force service partners to successfully achieve the Air Force Medical Service’s communications objectives while providing factual and timely responses to inquiries, helping journalists narrow their field of focus through thoughtful dialogue, and pitching related new topics by leveraging established media relationships.

• Addressed multiple high-visibility communication efforts including COVID-19, cancer studies, Operation Allies Rescue, and large-scale reorganization efforts by contributing to product and message development.

• Liaised with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Air Force, and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s public affairs teams to coordinate several external engagements, including major motion picture opportunities and senior leader interviews with top U.S. and international media coverage. Garnered millions of dollars in free publicity while placing the Air Force and medical Airmen in a positive light.

• Developed customized media training for senior leadership and subject matter experts to prepare them for high-profile interviews, speeches, and presentations. Facilitated interview oversight, agency coordination, and evaluation of outcomes to further develop our media engagement strategies.

• Authored congressional testimonies for the Surgeon General and senior leaders and prepared them for congressional hearings and hill engagements.

• Contributed to congressional objectives by developing messaging, talking points, speeches, and presentations to help ensure brevity and purposeful messaging to targeted audiences for advantageous outcomes on short deadlines. 

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       Senior Public Affairs Specialist,  (2020 - present)

Planned, developed, and produced informational materials concerning the Air Force Medical Service mission, programs, and activities for dissemination to stakeholders that resulted in high impact and favorable outcomes.

• Wrote, curated, edited, and organized internal and external Air Force Medical Service original content. 

• Developed and disseminated information to stakeholders using a full range of media and communications methods based on assignment, these included Town Halls, roundtables, senior leader speeches and Congressional testimony, memorandums, print publications, press releases, social media campaigns, Q&A and FAQ documents, one-pagers, website updates, and/or video presentations.

• Redesigned an internal publication to establish brand identity which resulted in a +60% increase in readership.

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August Creative Marketing - Remote

       Director of Content Strategy,  (2016 - 2020)

Content strategy, SEO and account development across all channels for B2B clients and agency promotional assets. Clients included Microban, Hoover, Hostess, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Guilford Technical Community College, and other local brands.

• Concepted, developed, and executed campaigns and produced content for brands across a variety of industries utilizing a wide range of formats which included SEO-optimized blog posts, emails, newsletters, social media content, internal messaging, and print marketing materials.

• Built a strong brand awareness campaign through thought leadership, conferences, and speaking engagements that led to a 78% increase in inbound leads year-over-year.

• Developed email marketing and lead nurturing strategy leveraging journey mapping to enhance relationships and business opportunities.

• Led and implemented multi-channel campaigns, digital and offline that included social media, paid search, display ads, radio, print, and drove qualified leads to our clients that exceeded lead goals.

• Created a successful corporate reputation management campaign for a client that contributed to an increase in annual revenue by $8M through new customer acquisition, retention, and expansion efforts. 

• Built key reports for the executive team around KPIs, such as marketing spend, new leads, revenue generated, and ROI, saving 15 hours of manual reporting each week.

• Prepared production plans and contingencies, including budgets, schedules, and equipment/technology recommendations for content development.

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UNDP - Tirana, Albania

       Communications Advisor - Fellowship  (2018)

Provided regular analysis and guidance to UNDP headquarters and regional/thematic teams on events, policies, and trends with implications for UNDP’s partners.

 

Geneva School of Diplomacy - Geneva, Switzerland

       Research Fellowship,  (2017 - 2018)

Assistant position while completing graduate program. Research topics included American foreign policy, higher education, civic education, political engagement, foreign aid and development, UN relations, and the Balkan region.

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Mower; Marketing and Advertising Agency - Charlotte, NC

       Account Planner,  (2014 - 2016)

Development of comprehensive, integrated marketing communications solutions. Drove the agency’s creative thinking and strategic direction and ensured relevancy of solutions based on deep understanding of the customer, client, brand and marketplace. Worked with research to distill data down to fundamental truths and insights for B2B and B2C clients . Clients included Chiquita, Domtar Paper, FedEx E-commerce, Georgia-Pacific, Freightliner, Sensus, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, Carowinds Amusement Park, KeyBank and others on a project basis. ​

• Produced and presents briefs to ensure campaign ideas and strategies are effective and targeted to the right audience.

• Performed in-depth interviews, develops personas, compiles competitive analysis, and creates messaging platforms. Articulates all communications and campaign messaging through voice of customer. 

• Set strategy for everything from IMC plans, to naming projects, brand guideline handbooks, sustainability reports, social media strategy, and internal values creation.

• Assisted in development of internal “Brand As Friend” philosophy materials and training for account staff.

• Contributed to new business pitches, and drafted RFP responses and client case studies.

 

​Electrolux - Charlotte, NC

       Product Marketing Consultant; Product Planning,  (2013 - 2014)

Brand marketing and management of the product development process and strategic product launches to grow and improve the portfolio of Electrolux and Eureka floor care products.

• Managed the review and analysis of market research, consumer trends, and competitive intelligence to identify consumer opportunity areas, as well as conducting research on new products to determine if the product is ready to go to market.

• Created and executed strategic marketing plans, business cases for new products, and product generation plans.  Reported success metrics to measure product launch interest and effectiveness.

• Developed and edited product messaging, packaging, digital copy, and consumer literature.  Created field sales presentations, and opportunity briefs for new platforms.

• Coordinated the production of complex databases to manage product performance reports, analysis of portfolio trends, intellectual property, and other risks, and updated content through SharePoint.

 

​WhiteSpace Creative Marketing Communications Agency - Charlotte, NC

        Account Executive, Public Relations  (2010 - 2012)

Primarily managed all local clients, and business development efforts during the Whitespace Creative expansion to Charlotte. Spearheaded the development, planning and execution of The City of Charlotte’s “Power2Charlotte” campaign from conception to completion. Planned, created and updated content for GTCC’s complete website redesign. Planned and executed integrated marketing plans for nonprofit organizations.

• Developed and executed a very successful integrated marketing communications plan that consisted of coordinating 19 simultaneous marketing objectives, each with their own variety of tactics, vendors and government branch involvement.

• Wrote and distributed press releases, media advisories, fact sheets, pitches, and developed media lists. Most efforts were picked up by local media, producing positive media coverage for the client.

• Monitored media to track and catalog competitive activity. Utilized Google Analytics to create analysis reports on web traffic. Interpreted market research data to make clear strategy recommendations.

• Researched and drafted material for monthly e-newsletters, online outreach campaigns, and thought-leadership articles for internal use and clients.

• Updated and managed website, and social media channels with original content. 

• Supported production and creative direction of marketing collateral and advertisements.

• Identified and developed subject matter expertise opportunities and spokesperson interviews. Facilitated media skills training.

• Prepared client presentations, RFP responses and case studies to contribute to new business development.

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​August Creative Marketing and Public Relations - Charlotte, NC

       Social Media Manager  (2010 - continued freelance work)

Managed social media outreach for indoor/outdoor furniture and accessories clients and crafted messaging strategies and promotional content. 

• Evaluated digital trends and emerging platforms to offer strategic recommendations, and planned initiatives to meet corporate objectives.  Created Google Analytics reports monthly to show progress.

• Implemented and managed social media presence for clients. Monitored media presence, and identified opportunities to engage consumer base.

• Drove consumer-centered marketing and ensured consistency in communications alight with the brand.

• Worked with executives and business unit leaders to support company visibility in target markets.

• Coordinated marketing collateral and promoted clients at regional trade shows and expos.

• Established B2B relationships to ensure client product placement. Used Salesforce.com for sales and opportunity management.
   

​VMS; Integrated Media Intelligence - Washington, DC

       Account Executive (2008 - 2010)​

Collaborated with PR teams from corporations, agencies, and government organizations to help them properly track, manage, and analyze their ad value and national media exposure.

• Promoted from the assistant position to manage a full client list after only 4 months at VMS.

• Generated new business leads; planned and executed client presentations and sales pitches.  Successfully established many new accounts.  Utilized Salesforce.com to manage new business.

 

​City Tavern Club - Washington, DC
       Events Assistant (2008 - 2009) 
Assisted in the planning and execution of events, banquets, and meetings with up to 300 guests at one of Washington DCs top social venues.

 

​Education​

 

Masters in International Relations, 2017-2018

Geneva School of Diplomacy​

Geneva, Switzerland

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​Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Studies, 2004-2008

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

 

Certifications/Additional Training:
• “Working with Congress” course: by The Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University
“Delivering Congressional Testimony” workshop: by The Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University •

• Public Information Officer Course; by Emergency Management Institute, FEMA

• AdWords Certification; by Google

• Digital Marketing Certificate; by Google

• Counterintelligence Awareness Certificate CI201.CU; by STEPP

• U.S. Public Policy Certificate; by Harvard University

• (currently completing): Project Management Professional Certification (PMP); by PMI

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Technical proficiency with:

Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, CMS (AFPIMS, DVIDS, Umbraco, WordPress, Wix), Project management software (Asana, SharePoint, Basecamp), Social media services (Sprout Social, Meltwater, HootSuite, Radian6), Graphic design software (Photoshop, Canva, Adobe Express), Video production software (Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Vimeo), Direct marketing services (Govdelivery, CreateSend, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Twilio), Virtual events (Microsoft Teams, Zoom), Google Analytics, Salesforce, AdSpyder, Marketo, Eloqua, Pardot, Cision, Vocus, Critical Mention, Factiva, BurrellesLuce.

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Industry and Community Involvement

Volunteer/Community Involvement:
• Geneva School of Diplomacy; Research Fellowship 2017-2018 
• UN Volunteer; work on SDG awareness report for UNDP 2017-2018

• Women in Foreign Policy Group, DC; event volunteer
• Charlotte Chamber of Commerce - network with professionals throughout Charlotte.
• American Heart Association - Event planning and logistics committee.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters - Former mentor relationship.

• Public Relations Society of America - network with industry professionals.

• American Advertising Federation - event attendance and networking.

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Campus Accomplishments:

• East Carolina University Cheerleader.

• Alpha Phi Sorority: Elected 2007 National Panhellenic Executive Council representative.  Council members were responsible for managing and coordinating the activities and recruitment for 27 organizations while aiming to improve greek life image in the community through positive media placement.



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